Middletown woman severely injured in pit bull attack

By Nathan Brown

Times Herald-Record

July 25, 2012 - 2:00 AM

MIDDLETOWN — A 32-year-old Middletown woman was flown to Westchester Medical Center Tuesday morning after she was attacked by her pit bull on Waverly Place, said Middletown police.The woman, Stephanie Jones, told police she was trying to put the adult dog into a fenced-in outdoor enclosure when it attacked her, biting her numerous times on the arms, wrists and stomach and severely injuring her; she may lose part of her arm, said Mayor Joe DeStefano.

Bystanders tried to free her from the dog but couldn't. Then, police arrived, and as Sgt. Jeff Thoelen got close to the victim, the dog started to approach him, and he fired four shots at the dog, killing it.Jones was flown by state police Medevac, and was believed to be in stable condition as of Tuesday afternoon.Police don't have any record of the dog attacking her or anyone else in the past, said Lt. Greg Metakes.The dog doesn't appear to have been licensed, DeStefano said. Its body was brought to Monhagen Veterinary Hospital, where they found it didn't have current rabies shots, either. It is being tested by the Orange County Department of Health for rabies.nbrown@th-record.com